Woman on a mission

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Coping With Injury

Unfortunately dealing with injuries is all part of any athlete’s life. It’s a difficult time mentally for the individual concerned and for those around them. Many of us find exercise the panacea for dealing with stress or are just obsessed with the bike riding. For those who revel in competition,the pleasure of completing a challenging race or session,is second to none. We kick start the release of endorphins (hormones secreted in the brain) during exercise. These are very addictive and there lies the big problem. How to survive a time, when we can’t exercise in our normal way.

During times of difficulty,I personally find solace in listening to how others have created a coping strategy. Today I plan to share mine and hope they may get you thinking. A plan may be the one thing that keeps you sane! You could always develop your own ‘variation on a theme’!

‘I had just started riding for Univega and was moving through the ranks well. I had trained hard all Winter and it was just a case of putting the icing on the cake. One slip in muddy conditions at the first National MTB race, put payed to that. There went my MTB racing, sponsorship and indeed riding off road in general. The big problem with any break obviously, is that falling off whilst your recovering really isn’t an option. In my case although the bone had knitted quickly, it needed to strengthen. After spending considerable time on a turbo trainer and then riding on the road I wanted a goal to keep me going. Let’s face it, you need something to strive for if you are spending hours on the turbo! So I found myself a time trial on a fast course with a view to aim for a PB. I am no tester and time trials just don’t ‘light my fire. In this instance however, it gave me a focus requiring high intensity training in short bursts, with a limited risk of ending up on the floor!’

KT Tape. A short term solution!

I got my PB, kept a good level of fitness and was soon back on a mountain bike. Looking back on it now I can see it gave me the opportunity to experience something different, in a relatively safe environment.